Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen To Deliver Keynote Speech Ahead Of 2018 New York Auto Show

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Cadillac will likely soak up the exposure at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, which will take place in the brand’s new hometown. Brand president Johan de Nysschen himself will take the stage at the 2018 Automotive Forum and will deliver one of three keynote addresses.

The forum takes place ahead of the auto show itself, and this year, de Nysschen will discuss his perspective on the changing automotive landscape. Ford’s Jim Farley and Toyota’s Bill Fay will also speak at the event.

Following the forum, de Nysschen will have a big show ahead of him, too. Cadillac will reveal the 2019 XT4 compact crossover at the auto show, which marks the first vehicle designed, developed and engineered under de Nyscchen. It will also provide a much needed new product at Cadillac dealerships and a contender in the compact crossover segment.

Cadillac’s star of the show will be the 2019 XT4, but we may also see an updated 2019 Cadillac CT6 bow as well. The brand has been busy testing the updated luxury sedan for awhile, and the influx of sightings suggest it could arrive sooner rather than later.

I’ve been thinking about this in terms of progression. While the new models will take cues from Escala I feel like the finer details will be trickled in further down the road. I noticed the CT5s license plate is on the trunk however this could just be because it’s still beta testing, but same for the CT6 refresh. We only recently saw the XT4s production lighting. Hoping the refreshed CT6 will appear at the NY Auto Show as well!

Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen will announce how successful he has been over the past couple of years to make sure that the Cadillac CT6 did not become as successful as the Chevrolet Cruze because of how it would be a literal nightmare to drive down any street of any major city and see the Cadillac brand vehicles everywhere.

Scott3, ironically you seem like someone who defines your own status by what you drive – and your post above is no exception. You also seem to be afraid to buy what you actually want, if someone you think you are “above” might own it also.

Many in the luxury segment do and GM needs to harvest their money. But you can’t buy that image with incentive sales to Chevy customers.

You build better more focused cars and carry volume with CUV models.

Cadillac is defind by their customer base and that is why they need to change that.

Where the cars are seen, who is driving them and the non commality sets the tone of the Image.

Maserati used to be seen in very exclusive regard. Today I see them even at the Barnes and Noble. In the Snow. Now it is seen as the car that people buy to be different from the BMW set. They have lost the exotic vibe.

Porsche almost killed their image with the 944 and 924 on every corner at Camaro pricing. They pulled back and refocused on the 911 to bring back the image. They then moved the entry level car up to Corvette prices. They now manage volume with VW based CUV model.

History of these and other brands teach us much.

Audi was just a fancy VW till they caught a niche with the Quattro.

BMW built theirs on cars that did many things well and a very good marketing program. Their prices were to the point that only people with means could afford them and afford to maintain them. Then the used 318 market started to damage their image with beat up cars owned buy people who could not maintain them. Benz suffers this to a point but most of their cars hold up better than a BMW.

The Asian luxury have had to sell at cheaper price points as they hold little image. Like the Acura NSX fine car and in the past it was a better Ferrari. But it was never a Ferrari.

The V engined bikes are better Harley Davidsons but they are still not Harley’s.

Image is very important.

Packard also lost their image and became a fancy Studebaker and it died. It became too common of a car that held no image any longer.

Scott3, despite what you are saying – it’s pretty obvious that you do define yourself by what you drive, and you define others that way too. Perhaps you just don’t realize it or can’t bring yourself to admit it. Maybe you don’t yet have the car that you feel “defines you”, due to cost.

As far as Cadillac, it sounds like you yearn for the pre-WWII Cadillac of very limited production, for some reason. But even then, Cadillac used mass-production techniques, they just didn’t sell very many cars. It wasn’t about some master plan to deliberately limit production, a la the recent (as of 2017) Ford GT at $500k and a 1,000 unit production total. Cadillac is not and has not aimed to be Rolls Royce, and realize that Rolls Royce itself went bankrupt, before being bailed out as some sort of national asset.

I think you don’t understand the economics of auto production, especially today with all the regulations and required testing. It takes a massive amount of money, about 1 or 2 billion dollars currently, just to have a single model ready for market. Limiting production simply isn’t profitable, given the massive fixed costs involved.

Personally I don’t think exclusivity makes a product “better”; if Cadillac is making cars to their standards and there’s one (or more) on every block, so what? Does that make the car less enjoyable to drive, to know that you’ve got something that others can’t have? Does your hamburger taste better if you know that very few others have access to the same quality burger? Look at the Apple I-phones, it’s a well-made, elegant, and fairly expensive product, yet many people have them – does that make them less appealing? I’d be perfectly happy if other people had a car as great as mine, as long as I get to enjoy mine.

You can talk about expensive brands that you claim “lost their image’ and went defunct. But the same thing happened to many auto makers that never went mass-production, such as Duesenberg. The important thing is to maintain quality, maintain your core values. If you can do that and sell a lot of cars, so be it. I say that Cadillac has lost their core values by giving up their refinement, reliability, roominess, and ride quality. As well as offering cheap de-contented “base” cars such as the current ATS with vinyl seats and halogen headlights, both ridiculous for a modern luxury car.

But there’s no point in chasing exclusivity for its own sake, as JdN claims to do. That’s just a cop-out anyway, an excuse as Cadillac sales have been plummeting under his guidance. Snobbishly avoiding the “wrong driveways” is a great way to go out of business, as nearly happened to Cadillac in the 1930’s. If Cadillac can get back to its core values and become the #1 luxury car in the US again, what is wrong with that? Again remember that this is a business, part of a for-profit, publicly-held corporation. It’s not an art form for you to oooh and ahhh over and say “Ain’t that great, I’ve only seen 2 Cadillacs in my life”. I say that if more people can afford and choose to buy real Cadillacs, that’s great, I’m glad more people can enjoy the nice, roomy, comfortable, reliable luxury ride, as well as the attractive angular American styling.

“Actually they just need to price the CT6 out of the hands of the blue haired, bingo playing Walmart shopping trailer park faux rich.”

Disparaging what you perceive to be Cadillac buyers will never correct the significant issues with Cadillac. deNysschen has a bad habit of blaming Cadillac buyers for his failures. Hold the nonsense that your boy needs 500 more years to develop a decent car.

I don’t see any problems with the new Cadillacs, I own two , a 2017 CTS 3.6 Luxury and 2017 XT5 Premium, both are great cars and represent an excellent value vs. the German competition. I have considered Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Jaguar several times over the years, but always bought the Cadillac. 17 in all since 1980. Cadillac offers everything you get in the competition, as well as FREE maintenance and at a much better price. Why JDN is keeping that a secret is beyond me. Hopefully now that Ellinghaus is gone, JDN will hire a CMO who understands Marketing and the value of ADVERTISING !!!

Even Benz and BMW flirt with this dilemma of putting people in their lower end cars that do nothing to help their image. Sure it is a sale but does it really do you any good in the long run.

Cadillac lost their image when they became a mass produced model for the working class. Sure GM sold a lot of cars but the image slipped and now they have to sell at a good rebate.

Cadillac needs to one fix their models to be best in class and step it up to not just be another Chevy based model with a nicer interior. Second they need to stop offering rebates. Third they need to price product so if you own one it really means something.

You may not like the class thing but it is an important part of a luxury image if you want to demand higher prices and to be a more exclusive brand.

Sorry Sue but look around at the brands that really mean something. The people driving these cars are not factory workers, Mc D managers.

You should know the image is severely damaged when it becomes a punch line for a Seinfeld episode.

You may be upset that you may not be the target buyer anymore but they need to do as they need to do.

As for years the clock starts in March with the first of many changes that we will see coming. The time to develop a new model falls right in line as I and others have explained to you.

Also like we explained to you the XT4 is not going to fix Cadillac by its self. It will take more models to do so but this should show us if they are at least heading in the right direction.

Will JDN save them? No one knows but at least once these new models arrive we can have an informed intelligent opinion vs. the blither post we have been seeing from the uninformed.

So sit back and lets just see what comes here and then let the public judge. The fact is they can’t do any worse than the last 40 years.

I suggest looking at the target markets of some of the finer brands out there that sell lower volumes. They thrive on image and who they sell to and where their products are seen. Some even on their best models can tell customers if they are considered good enough for some limited models. Many are turned away.

Like it or not we all could get by in life in a Sonic but ego pushes us to want to drive models most people can’t afford or ever see. The balance of volume and exclusivity is what needs to be done to enhance the image.

You can do it in volume but then you are stuck at a Lexus, Buick or Denali price.

The Cadillac brand was not a “punch line” for Seinfeld. Yes it was a funny program, but in the episode Jerry buys a new, fully loaded Cadillac Fleetwood for his father, because he was doing well as a comedian and he wanted his father to have a really great car. The “punch line” was that his father couldn’t imagine that his son was doing well enough to afford such a car.

According to Wikipedia, a new BASE Fleetwood would have cost $37k at that time. Fully loaded likely would have taken it to at least $40k, which is about $64k in today’s money. That puts it above the base price of the current CT6, and above every current Cadillac except the Escalade.

Yet today Cadillac sells the ATS starting at $35k, and that’s before the inevitable rebates to clear the lots of these things. To argue based on Seinfeld that Cadillac in 1996 was a cheap “trailer park” brand vs. today, is a complete misrepresentation. Not to mention distasteful in its own right.

Scott3, I don’t know how much money you have, and I don’t care. But you aren’t doing Cadillac any favors as a Cadillac owner by acting like a complete snob, just as JdN doesn’t do the brand any favors by talking about “not the right driveways”. I have a news flash for you too – Cadillac has never pretended to compete directly with Rolls Royce or Bentley. GM is a publicly traded company, and if GM feels they want Cadillac to be a luxury brand that’s not out of reach for the 99.9%, that’s their choice. You might think it would be cool if Cadillac only sold 2500-3000 cars per year (as Bentley does in the US) or 3500-4000 (as Rolls Royce does), but that’s not going to put food on the table for GM shareholders.

Scott3, that’s just your strange and biased interpretation. At no point did Jerry turn to George, Elaine, or anyone else, and smirk “My dad still thinks Cadillac is a good car, what a hoot!”. The humor of the story was that Seinfeld’s dad initially, and later the father’s neighbors, can’t believe that Jerry could make enough to afford a new Cadillac. Full-sized Cadillacs still had a great reputation back then, and yes at $64k or more in today’s money, they weren’t cheap. Especially since more people have relatively more disposable income now, than then. So the $40k or so then would have typically been even more out of reach than $64k today.

From the (1st) Cadillac episode:

KRAMER: My god, you’re rich.

JERRY: (taking back the check) Oh yeah.

KRAMER: I didn’t know you made that kinda money. (subdued) Jeez.

JERRY: What?

KRAMER: I don’t think I can talk to you any more. I feel inferior.

JERRY: I never shoulda told you.

KRAMER: You know, Jerry, I think this changes the relationship. I mean, I
feel it. Do you feel it?

JERRY: No, I can’t feel anything.

KRAMER: Well, what’re you gonna do with all that money?

JERRY: Actually, I was thinking of donating a large portion of it to
charity.

KRAMER: (pleased) Really?

JERRY: (deadpan) No.

KRAMER: Well, you should, Jerry.

JERRY: No, to tell you the truth, I was thinking of buying my father a new
car.

KRAMER: Now, you see, that’s nice.

JERRY: Maybe a Cadillac.

KRAMER: (smiles) Cadillac. Ooh-la-la.

JERRY: Yeah. (thinking) That would really blow his mind. He’s always wanted
one, his whole life, he’s never been able to afford it. (decisive) I’m gonna
do it.

(Then a bit later)

ELAINE: I can’t believe you’re buying your father a car.

JERRY: And, best of all, it’s a Cadillac.

ELAINE: (sharp intake of breath) Hoh. A Cadillac! (impressed) Wow.

Elaine seems to become a lot more interested in Jerry. She moves over to the
table where Jerry’s packing, and turns the ‘flirt’ knob to the ‘on’
position.

ELAINE: I had no idea you had this kind of money.

JERRY: Ahh, I uh, I don’t like to talk about it.

ELAINE: Yeah, I thought you were doing okay. I just didn’t think you were in
this kind of, you know, uh… position.

JERRY: Ah, it’s just money.

(But after Jerry gives the Cadillac to his father Morty, the others at his condo complex don’t believe that he or Jerry could afford it).

JACK: C’mon Morty, the jig is up!

MORTY: What’re you talking about?

JACK: I’m sorry. I’m sitting here, the whole meeting, holding my tongue.
I’ve known you a long time, Morty, but I cannot hold it in any longer.

HERB: What’s going on, Jack?

JACK: I’ll tell you what’s going on. Morty Seinfeld has been stealing funds
from the treasury.

MORTY: Stealing?!

RALPH: What proof do you have?

JACK: Proof? You want proof? He’s driving around in a brand new Cadillac.
Now what more proof do you want?

MORTY: My son bought me that car!

JACK: Your son?

MORTY: Yeah.

JACK: Your son could never afford that car. We all saw his act, last year,
at the playhouse. He’s lucky he can pay his rent!

HERB: Jack’s right! He stinks!

RALPH: It’s his material.

MORTY: I tell you, he bought it for me!

HERB: (bangs table with his fist) I move for a full investigation!

(And eventually – in part 2 – Morty is impeached and removed as head of his condo board, despite being innocent of stealing funds).

So Scott3, if the “punch line” is about how Cadillacs were only good in the eyes of old people back then, why were Kramer and Elaine so impressed themselves? And if any old person could afford one, then why does Jerry say that his father always wanted one but could never afford it himself (even now)? You interpreted this the way you wanted, but at no point was it implied that Cadillac was anything but a prized car.

The real punch line was that Jerry was making a lot of money as a comedian, and that his friends, his parents, and his parents friends couldn’t believe it. The Cadillac was merely the vehicle (pun intended) for showing that Jerry’s now very high income was shocking or could not be believed by these people.

Cadillac in no uncertain terms lost their image by building mass produced cars for the working class . Seriously…………….
There is absolutely no facts to bear that statement out . Cadillac lost their way by building cars that squeeked and rattled and had a NorthStar engine in them with plenty of problems . They also lost their way by ( even in the late 1980’s ) by trying to Europeanize some of their cars . The STS the Sedan DeVille by de=chroming their cars and giving them stiffer suspensions and tires with no white walls which started to turn off the customary Cadillac buyer . Cadillac has been trying to re-invent itself for years .
And I don’t think mentioning the J-Car Cimmeron did the company much good .
The history of GM used to be Chevy then move up to a Buick and then an Oldsmobile and then Cadillac . Back in the 1980’s and 90’s we had an economy that actually created a new class of consumers , the upper middle class , or the upper mobile ” yuppies ” . Their was money to spend on the American Luxury car or German ( BMW ) . Once this group got a taste of what a German car was like , Cadillac started to look like a second class luxury division . And even back then Cadillac was not building what the customer really wanted and was tired of mis-fitting panels and orange peel paint .
The idea that customers would buy a Cadillac because they may think they are some how better than other people shows a complete disregard for the folks that are buying them . Could it be a possibility that they liked the ride of the car or the design or how comfortable the seats are or offered options they wanted that they could not get from another GM product . Even recently Johan made a statement that new technology would show up at Cadillac first and the trickle down to other GM divisions , just like Cadillac used to be known for .
Would Corvette get trashed the same as Cadillac for selling to the ” white haired ” crowd ? I see more Corvette’s with white haired old men driving them trying to regain their youth . Or just maybe it’s a car they have always wanted and figure it’s time to buy one . You also don’t see one in every driveway in America and I have never heard the CEO of Chevy saying as much as Johan has .
Do people buy Denali’s because they want to flaunt it that they are better or have more money than those that drive a SLE or SLT .
If you see a blue haired old lady parked at a bingo hall with her new Cadillac , so what . I know some peoples Mother’s and Father’s that have white hair and live in Florida at trailer parks , we in the Mid-West call them snow birds .
I have a XT5 and a Terrain Denali and the girlfriend drives a Mercedes E-class . Why , because that is what we want and in no way are we trying to project anything at all . $hit I grew up buying nothing but Oldsmobiles , my first car was a 1976 Cutlass Supreme and over the years worked my way all the way up their product line to a Toronado Trofeo .
But that’s beside the point , some people may buy vehicles just to show off , but to paint with such a broad brush that that is how every body buys things is nonsense.
The XT4 is Johan’s first baby and he should be there because there are many in the automotive arena closely watching what he is doing to lift Cadillac’s tarnished image , but this is just the first page in his vision .

Ok so back in the early days when Cadillac was built in low volumes and only sold to people with means means nothing. Even when they bought chassis and had them custom bodied like the other great cars of the era.

Or that they had their own chassis, engines some exotic for the era.

That gives way to mass produced cars in the 60’s that began to sell to factory workers?

Then that gave way to the down sized poor quality fwd cars that originated as Olds And Buicks. Then the Cimarton and Caterra.

Even worse was the Caprice based Fleetwood.

Then the FWD models with DOHC that were not funded properly.

Followed up by the move finally back to RWD but never supported financially properly by consistent leadership as the managers never lasted more than 2 years. You can’t turn a division like this then insentive the cars to the point there is little resale and too many in places that do your image harm.

The truth is there was a number of mistakes and failures and it will take a number of corrections and actions to get it back over a number of models and years.